Spaces on the Stave: Documenting the Musical Lives of Transgender People in Ireland

Harding, Lee (2023) Spaces on the Stave: Documenting the Musical Lives of Transgender People in Ireland. Masters thesis, Dundalk Institute of Technology.

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Abstract

'Spaces on the Stave: Documenting the Musical Lives of Transgender People in Ireland' is a study situated in the domain of cultural musicology, establishing socio-historical context in alignment with a mapping of the musical lives of transgender people in Ireland. Identifying and interviewing transgender music-makers resulted in the collation of primary data for this research, combined with a nationwide survey that maps transgender music fandom. This data was analysed in order to develop a cultural historical perspective on the impact that gender identity has had on music-making and consumption for transgender people in Ireland. This research project engages with three research methods: archival research, online survey, and the semi-structured interview. Archival research reveals traces of a history of transgender people in Ireland from the 1970s onwards with documentation of transgender experiences, community frameworks and music consumption. The survey investigates the role of music in participants' lives, transgender musical icons within Ireland and internationally and music venues, scenes and communities in Ireland. 230 transgender people from all over Ireland responded to the survey and shared their experiences as a means of supporting this research project centred on their lives and music. The series of interviews conducted with four transgender music-makers based in Ireland provide insight into career development, status in venues, spaces and scenes, and perspectives on a lineage of transgender music-makers. This thesis serves as a documented chronology of transgender musical experiences in Ireland dating from the 1970s to the present.

Item Type:	Thesis (Masters)
Subjects:	Arts and Humanities > Music
Research Centres:	UNSPECIFIED
Depositing User:	Georgina Hughes
Date Deposited:	24 Oct 2023 15:06
Last Modified:	24 Oct 2023 15:06
License:	Creative Commons: Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0
URI:	https://eprints.dkit.ie/id/eprint/862

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